An Evaluation of the Work Social Worker in the Imprisonment With Active Preparation for Post-Penitentiary Care in Slovakia

The aim of social work in social services in the treatment of a prisoner is the mitigation of social problems or the elimination of their possible causes, and the preparation of a prisoner for release from prison. Social work, social services and social counselling are the specialised forms of care for an individual, the enhancement of his individual potentials, the optimisation of behaviour in the specific moments of his life. A relationship between a prisoner and a social worker is an important milestone which affects the quality of the counselling activity. However, the relationship develops step by step, and the social worker gradually gains trust and authority. However, in the development of such a relationship, the social worker in the helping profession must have certain principles to be followed. Social work in serving custody and serving an imprisonment sentence is a professional activity focused on clarifying the social problems of the prisoners which influenced their criminal activity, or whose existence is a risk factor for the resocialisation prognosis, so-called information assistance, support and counselling focused on limiting the negative effects of the prison environment and eliminating or minimising the causes of social problems. Social work in helping professions with prisoners belongs to a science area of social work. According to the place of work, we can divide social work with the punished persons into two subgroups: social work in the prison – i.e. penitentiary social work; and social work following the imprisonment sentence – post-penitentiary social work.

The RP3 Program to Promote Language for Early Childhood

Thailand had Family Development Center (FDC) Staff for family promotion and development to strengthen warm relations and social immunization of family members in the community. The RP3 program has been created to enhance the language development skills of people working with small children. This paper examines the effectiveness of the RP3 Program on improving FDC staff skills in early childhood language development in rural Thai communities. A quasi-experimental design was used with 40 FDC staff in each group. The intervention group received the RP3 Program. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using paired t-test and independent t-test. The results revealed that the intervention group had significantly higher mean scores in self-efficacy after attending the program than before, and also significantly higher than the comparison group (p<0.001). This shows that FDC staff may be able to upgrade and change attitudes through intervention programs and have more belief in their ability to guide their parents. This study may be valuable for local authorities and relevant sectors as a guideline for FDC staff by considering the context of the organization and the community.

Digital Divide and Online Instruction Delivery Readiness Among Nigerian Universities in an Era of COVID-19

This study on the digital divide and online instructional delivery readiness among universities in Nigeria employed the descriptive survey research design. Six universities were selected in South-South, Nigeria. These include two federal, two-state, and two privately-owned universities. The selected universities are the University of Calabar, University of Benin, (federally owned), River State University of Science and Technology; Cross River University of Technology (state universities) and Arthur Jarvis University, Akpabuyo and Benson Idahosa University Benin City (private universities) all in South-South Zone, Nigeria. Three faculties were selected from each university. These include Education, Science and Social Sciences. Different departments were randomly selected within each of the selected faculties. The population of the study was 10,274 undergraduate students during the 2020 academic session. A random sampling procedure was employed to choose undergraduates from all levels in the selected departments using a sampling percentage of 20% to give a sample size of 2,596. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. The questionnaire collected data on demography, availability of ICT infrastructure, staff and students ICT skills, factors deepening the divide, and online instruction readiness of universities. Data collected were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science version 23 (SPSS) to get frequency and percentages. The results from the analyses reveal that a greater percentage of the students are highly proficient in ICT skills, private universities had more ICTs than public universities, and it was also though private universities were ready, the sampled public universities were not technically ready for online instructional delivery.

Demographics Variables and Athletes’ Performance in Track Events in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State

This research studied the performance of athletes in 100m, 200m, 400m, and 4 x 400m relay races in secondary schools based on two demographic variables (age and experience). The bivariate and interactive effects of these variables were assessed based on three null hypotheses formulated to guide the study. The research is quantitative and followed the ex-post facto design. The population comprised 1,180 junior and senior secondary schools students in 24 public secondary schools in Calabar Metropolis. A total of 863 students were selected based on their previous experiences in track events. Data were collected using a questionnaire tagged “Performance in Track Events Questionnaire (PTEQ). Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics; while inferential statistics such as one- and two-way ANOVA were used to test the null hypotheses at the .05 level of significance. No significant influence of age on athletes’ performance in all the track events was found. Athletes experience significantly influenced their performance in all the track events. There is a significant interaction of age and experience on athletes’ performance in all track events in secondary schools. It was concluded that some demographic variables affect student-athletes performance in track events, while others do not. Based on this conclusion, relevant practical and research implications were discussed for sustained or improved performance in track events.

Traditional Variables and Umbilical Cord Management among Mothers in Calabar Education Zone, Cross River State, Nigeria

This study investigates the influence of traditional variables on umbilical cord management among nursing mothers in Calabar Education Zone, Cross River State. Two research questions were answered in the study. The survey design was adopted for this study. The sample size of 748 nursing mothers that delivered within six months, currently obtaining postnatal health care services was drawn from a population of 1,068 nursing mothers in the area of study. “Traditional Variables and Umbilical Cord Management Questionnaire (CVUCMQ)” was used for data collection. Cronbach Alpha method was used to analyse the data with reliability estimates for the variable ranging from .81 to .88. The first finding indicates that traditional beliefs affect neonatal umbilical cord management by nursing mothers. The second finding of this study shows the influence of traditional practices on neonatal umbilical cord management by nursing mothers in Southern Cross River State. Based on these findings, it was concluded that the impact of traditional beliefs and practices are the strong traditional variables that nursing mothers and health care workers must pay due attention to ensure effective delivery of quality patient care. The study recommended among others that there should be forums to address traditional rulers and their cabinets on the dangers of unhealthy traditional beliefs and practices surrounding umbilical cord management.

Commuter Care Management and Sustainability of Road Transport Firms

To be a going concern, road transportation firms like other organizations have to go beyond the usual goal of just making a profit to always keeping their commuters satisfied with the nature of services rendered to them. This study examined commuter care management and the sustainability of road transport firms in the South-South region, Nigeria. The study sought to investigate two dimensions of commuter care specifically waiting for time and employees’ attitude and the influence of these on commuter referrals and retention respectively. A Cross-sectional survey was carried out where data were collected using a structured questionnaire. A sample size of three was used for the transportation companies while a sample size of 329 was used for the commuters. The simple linear regression statistical tool was used in analyzing the data through the aid of the E-View 19 statistical package. Findings from the study revealed that there exists a significant positive influence of waiting time on commuter referrals and of employee attitude on commuter referrals. It was therefore recommended that management of road transport firms should ensure that commuters do not wait for too long before the take-off time, they should make sure vehicles are serviced, fuelled and take off as at when scheduled; employees should also be constantly trained to ensure their attitude to commuters are appropriate.

Financial Management, Motivation and the Teaching Effectiveness of Physical Education Lecturers in Colleges of Education in South-South Nigeria

This study was conducted to determine the extent to which financial management and staff motivation associate with the teaching effectiveness of Physical Education lecturers in colleges of education in south-south Nigeria. Two null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. A 10 item questionnaire was structured to obtain data for the study. Ex-post Facto research design was adopted for the study. A sample of 69 physical education lecturers was used for the study, based on the census technique. Pearson Product Moment Correlation and independent t-test statistical techniques were used in testing the two hypotheses (where applicable). Findings show that financial management and staff motivation significantly affect Physical Education lecturers’ teaching effectiveness respectively. It was recommended among others that the Nigeria Government and college administrators should provide appropriate motivation and adequate fund for Physical Education Programmes.

Online Shopping in Kathmandu Valley: Users’ Knowledge, Challenges and Way Forward

E-payment users are expanding all over the world as a result of globalization and improved ICT facilities. Nepal has a 63 percent internet penetration rate, with 3, 59, 12,019 people using mobile services. In order to identify issues and managerial solutions of online purchasing in the Kathmandu valley, for the study, a sample of 295 e-payment users was chosen. A descriptive data analysis was carried out using the survey method. The result revealed that 95 percent of users were aware of the use of an e-payment system in Kathmandu valley. 40.13 percent of users agreed that they faced challenges while using the e-payment system. Some of the major challenges are slow internet penetration, an ineffective legal framework, a low literacy rate, and traditional payment methods. Similarly, improving security, reinforcing government policies, providing adequate internet access, and promoting digital literacy can be used to address issues with the e-payment system. The findings revealed that while 95% of e-payment users are aware of online payment systems, there is still room for improvement for the remaining 5%.

Trade Openness and the Development of Informal Economy in Enugu State, Nigeria

This study examines the neoliberal thesis which contends that trade openness could support the economic recuperation and development of the peripheral states. Particularly, it reviews the current trade regimes in Nigeria with a view to understanding how they impacted the livelihood of informal economy operators in Enugu state. The study argues that the dismantling of Nigeria’s territorial borders through various trade policies of government negates the development of the informal economy in Enugu state by stifling the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMES) and leading to a general decline in the income and wellbeing of small scale business operators. It notes that trade openness is a ploy by the western capitalist states to perpetuate their dominance in the international political economy to the detriment of peripheral states, whose productive forces are still at a rudimentary stage. The theoretical foundation of the study was situated within the prismatic compass of Dependency theory while triangulation of data, involving review of official documents and other relevant literature as well as the use of questionnaire was deployed in this study. From the findings, the study recommends that Nigeria should reappraise its trade policies to stimulate the development of the informal sector and enhance the wellbeing of the indigenous entrepreneurs.

Folk Games in Southern Khmer Culture in Vietnam

Folk games have long been viewed as a vivid picture reflecting people’s materials and spiritual life accumulated through multiple generations. Folk game, whether it serves as an entertainment activity in idle seasons, leisure time, or just jollity for children; is aimed at the solidarity and unity of the communities, villages, and the entire national solidarity. Folk games were once a page of precious memories imprinted on the homeland and villages, which nurtured people with good lifestyles and souls. Nevertheless, these days, the role of folk games is no longer blooming as before. The preferences and ways of entertainment of all classes of people, especially the youth, witness more or less changes. For the Khmer residing in the South of Vietnam, an ethnic group associated with the rice farming tradition, folk games in particular and folklore, in general, are of prime importance. This article presents the origin, gameplay and recognizes the cultural values of folk games in daily life and festivals of the Khmer people in the South to contribute to popularizing and preserving the beauty of Khmer culture in today’s society.